Cherreads

Chapter 258 - Chapter 258: Kakuzu vs. Madara

"Mere grains of sand are nothing compared to me! Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Madara swiftly formed hand seals and unleashed an immense sea of flames from his mouth. The sheer magnitude of the Fire Release technique was overwhelming—not only did Namikaze Minato's expression tighten, but even Onoki, the Tsuchikage, broke out in a cold sweat upon witnessing it.

"Is this the true difference between a powerhouse and mere sand?" Onoki murmured, unable to resist getting drawn into Madara's words. His old wounds—inflicted by Madara decades ago—began to ache again. That battle had left an indelible shadow over his entire life.

"Now is not the time for such thoughts, Onoki-senpai! Water Release units, move in!" Minato commanded, snapping the stunned shinobi back to reality.

Several Kirigakure shinobi stepped forward, quickly forming hand seals in preparation to counter the raging flames. However, Onoki suddenly raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

"Enough. There's no need. The one who can match that monster has already arrived."

Minato was momentarily taken aback before turning his gaze forward. Standing tall against the sea of flames was the imposing figure of Kakuzu.

Onoki couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly. He and those two men came from the same era, yet while they had ascended to godlike heights, he remained here, toiling away in the mundane world. The shinobi world was truly a place where talent reigned supreme.

But perhaps he was being too harsh on himself. After all, as the Tsuchikage, he was one of the five most powerful figures in the world. And if one were to truly rank them, Onoki was undoubtedly the strongest of the Five Kage. His mastery of Dust Release placed him above all others, even Hatake Sakumo.

...

"Fire Release!"

A new wave of searing flames surged forward, colliding with Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame. The inferno grew, blanketing the sky in a crimson glow.

"What the—?!"

"Fall back! If you don't want to be burned alive, retreat immediately!"

"This... this is impossible!"

The shinobi alliance scattered in terror, shielding their faces against the blistering heat as they scrambled away.

Was this what true Fire Release looked like?

Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame and Kakuzu's were both classified as B-rank Fire Release techniques—jutsu that many among them had learned. But in the hands of these two monsters, their destructive force had reached an entirely different level.

Everything at the center of the battlefield was incinerated, reduced to nothing but ash.

Through the raging flames, Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto Kakuzu's figure. Memories stirred.

"Back then, you and Tobirama stood against me when I left the village. At the time, you were unworthy of my attention."

"But you have survived in this world for so many years and achieved this level of power."

"For that alone, I acknowledge you."

Madara's voice was calm, but he knew his words would reach Kakuzu clearly.

Kakuzu responded without hesitation.

"Madara, the old era has passed. A new era is about to begin."

"And let me make one thing clear—"

"I don't need your acknowledgment!"

With a slight movement of his left hand, Kakuzu spread his palm outward.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

A violent hurricane erupted, howling through the battlefield. The gale roared like a furious beast, surging forward with enough force to sweep away an army.

When the wind met the raging flames, it did more than spread the fire—it transformed it.

The inferno roared like a living creature, its maw stretching wide as it devoured everything in its path.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The flames, now enhanced by the wind, exploded outward with unprecedented fury. The combined power was far beyond a simple sum of fire and wind—it was an amplification, a fusion of destruction itself.

The sea of fire surged like an unstoppable wave, swallowing Madara whole.

As the flames finally dissipated, the battlefield was left charred and blackened, a scorched wasteland.

At the very center of the devastation, the earth began to stir.

Slowly, clumps of soil coalesced in midair, reforming into a humanoid shape.

Madara's figure emerged, his armor covered in dust. He casually patted the dirt off his shoulder as he reopened his eyes.

"Perhaps I should have brought you to the Final Valley back then."

His tone was contemplative—this was more than mere acknowledgment. There was even a trace of regret in his voice.

During his legendary battle with Hashirama, he had been too fixated on their duel, neglecting the existence of this cunning survivor. And now, Kakuzu had grown into a warrior capable of giving him trouble.

"To make the great Uchiha Madara regret something—I am honored."

Kakuzu's voice was calm, yet filled with steel.

"But let's get back to reality. On this battlefield, either you will be sealed, or I will die. If you have any more tricks, now is the time to use them."

Power brought confidence, and Kakuzu's presence alone reinvigorated the allied shinobi.

So what if the legendary Madara had returned? The shinobi world would never stop producing talent, each new generation stronger than the last.

Their Kakuzu would grind Madara into the dirt!

"Too noisy!"

The cheers and shouts from the crowd made Madara frown slightly. As he raised his hands to form seals, his Mangekyō Sharingan gradually transformed into the Rinnegan.

"Let me quiet this place down a bit. This battlefield belongs to you and me alone—too many small fries will only ruin the mood."

"Tengai Shinsei!"

From the clear, cloudless sky came a thunderous roar. A massive meteor, at least two kilometers in diameter, slowly descended from above, tearing through the clouds and breaking the sky itself. Fighting against the wind resistance, it continued its slow but unstoppable descent. Given its sheer size and the force of its fall, not a single person on the battlefield could hope to survive its impact.

Ōnoki looked up at the incoming meteor, and a cold sweat dripped down his forehead. This was divine power—something that countless mortals could strive for all their lives and never reach.

As panic spread through the Allied Shinobi Forces, a voice cut through their fear, bringing a semblance of calm. It was Kakuzu.

"You should have felt it by now, haven't you? Ever since awakening the Rinnegan, you've sensed a connection—an invisible link to something out there in the cosmos."

Madara folded his arms across his chest, his expression relaxed and indifferent.

"So what?" he scoffed. Immortality was his, and a mere meteor posed no threat to him.

"Meteors originate from the universe itself, and they are connected to the power of the Six Paths. Perhaps the source of these eyes lies somewhere in the chaos of the cosmos."

Madara remained silent, staring at Kakuzu. Of course, he had considered this before. Ever since awakening the power of the Six Paths, he had felt an inexplicable pull from the stars. But back then, he had already grown old, lacking the strength to explore the mysteries of the universe.

Now, however...

"Your thoughts intrigue me. I'll find out the truth myself."

He shifted his stance slightly, his gaze sharpening. "But first, I need to erase you from this world."

"Is that so?" Kakuzu replied indifferently. The third eye on his forehead, a Rinnegan with nine tomoe, slowly opened.

He looked up at the endless sky, feeling the deep connection between himself and the vast cosmos. Then, with precise and deliberate movements, he formed eighteen hand seals.

"Tengai Shinsei!"

The same technique as Madara's. But this time, instead of a single meteor, six colossal meteors emerged from the sky, each hurtling down from different directions to collide with Madara's descending rock.

A deafening explosion ripped through the sky as the meteors clashed, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Fragments of the shattered meteors rained down like an apocalyptic storm, each one large enough to be a boulder in its own right. For the shinobi below, even the smallest piece could mean instant death.

"I'll do what little I can to help! And Minato, don't just stand there—move!"

Ōnoki and Minato exchanged glances and nodded. While they commanded their forces to retreat, they also did their best to deflect the falling debris. The remnants of the meteors were left for the foot soldiers to handle, but the true battle had only just begun.

...

"I can feel it. You also possess the power of Wood Release."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting Madara continue.

With a simple hand seal, Madara created twenty-five wooden clones.

"Tell me something—can Wood Clones use Susanoo?"

"I suppose they can."

"Good. Then let me show you!"

At his command, all twenty-five clones activated their Susanoo. Towering giants, each tens of meters high, emerged, forming an army of blue-armored titans. At the center, Madara himself unleashed his Complete Body Susanoo, standing even taller, its massive blade at its waist, draped in intricate samurai armor.

The battlefield was instantly engulfed by these colossal entities. The Allied Shinobi Forces trembled in fear—just these giants alone could wipe out their ten thousand strong army.

Yet, Kakuzu remained unfazed.

From within the crystalline form of Susanoo, Madara glared at Kakuzu, arms still crossed, electricity crackling through his gaze.

"I know you don't want to accept it, but how do you plan to counter this?"

"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

With an earth-shaking roar, a massive wooden Buddha emerged from the ground, towering hundreds of meters high. Its stern, divine face radiated an aura of overwhelming power, and behind it, countless wooden arms extended outward in a majestic display.

"Wood Release: Wooden Golem Technique!"

A wooden warrior, equal in size to Susanoo, manifested, its eyes burning with battle intent.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

A massive wooden dragon coiled around the golem, its body pulsating with energy, ready to strike alongside its master.

Madara's expression darkened.

"So you've had your eye on Hashirama's power all along. You probably understood it even better than I did!"

For the first time, Madara felt like he had been played. Kakuzu had hidden his true strength all this time, only to reveal it now in the most overwhelming manner possible.

"Madara, enough talk. Just admit it—you're outmatched."

At a moment like this, taunting one's opponent felt incredibly satisfying.

...

Would Madara, who had once lost to the Great Buddha, admit defeat now?

Seeing his silence, Kakuzu smirked and raised a finger, motioning for him to come.

"I'll even let you keep both hands. Let's see how long you last!"

True to his word, he did not strike with his own fists. Instead, a thousand wooden hands rained down in an unstoppable barrage. Susanoo-clad clones shattered upon impact—their defenses nothing before the relentless assault.

Then came the final challenge: Madara's Complete Body Susanoo. Though it stood over a hundred meters tall, how could it compare to the five-hundred-meter-tall Buddha before it?

...

After an entire day of battle, the landscape was unrecognizable. The terrain had been obliterated, mountains reduced to rubble, rivers rerouted, and the very earth itself shattered. The sky was darkened, as if even the sun and moon had been forced to retreat.

The ten thousand-strong Allied Shinobi Forces had long since fled. Only a few Kage-level shinobi remained, watching from afar like wide-eyed children. Witnessing the power of gods was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

...

"Madara, is there anything left that can entertain me?"

Kakuzu looked down from above, gazing at the remnants of Madara's Susanoo—a mere flicker of blue flames.

Madara sat quietly, watching him. The world had changed too much since he had last walked it.

True Several Thousand Hands had once pushed Hashirama to the brink of exhaustion. And now, he could see it—Kakuzu's life force should have been draining at a rapid pace.

And yet, he stood there, unaffected.

Two possibilities.

One: His immortal body allowed him to recover in mere moments.

Two: The Rinnegan had further amplified his regeneration, making fatigue irrelevant.

Madara smirked. "This battle was more interesting than I expected. But tell me—are you prepared for the counterattack I've set in motion?"

Far off on the second battlefield, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

Madara's plan had just begun.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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